Happy Spring, Workshops abound, and Portland here I come.

Flower Tiles 

It's hard to believe it's been over a month since my last post.  I haven't fallen off the face of the earth, I've just been so busy making art and new opportunities I can hardly stop to take a breath!   Great things are going on in my art life, some I can share now, some I will share later ;)  Kelly Crosser-Alge and I have partnered up to share our Inking techniques in a class we call Inks and Drinks . It's been a great hit so far so we have pre-scheduled for classes for several months ahead.  Here's a photo of our first "victims"

Finished Masterpieces :)

 Their first practice tiles

Right now the class is every other Tues eve in Findlay, OH, but we are looking to expand to other nights and locations as well.  If you are interested in a workshop in your city, please contact me for info.

More exciting news:  I am traveling to Carmel, Indiana this week for a workshop with Qiang Huang.  I've admired his work for some time now and his recent works from his China visit are so inspiring.  It will be an honor painting with him and my artist friends Gloria Moses and Laurie Mueller.   

In April, I attend another workshop with Kelly Crosser Alge with fused glass sgraffito:

piece by Kelly Alge

 my piece from the last workshop 

In May I will be traveling to Portland OR to see the Bullseye Glass Factory, and catch up with artist Carol Marine and husband David.  

I've also been very busy applying for art shows in both the Inks category and oils.  I am honored to have been chosen for the distinguished Crosby Festival of Art in Toledo, Ohio, one of the more difficult shows to be juried into.  I'm signed up for at least 7 shows this summer at this point, probably more, so it's looking to be a very busy summer season.   I will post a schedule of shows soon if you are local and would love to see you there!  

Tulip Tango

6x6 oil on panel SOLD

I'm having a bit of fun with the Pantone color of the year "Tangerine Tango" It works well with lime green and white. The tulip was a bit of a bear though...took me all day. Perhaps something simpler tomorrow......

Three amigos

6x6 oil on panel click here to buy $60

Trying to master the apple and white tulip. Someething tells me you will see more tulips until they are wilted. Interesting thing I noticed about tulips: when I bought them they were tightly closed, I got them into the studio and put them in water. As they warmed up, they opened a little, but the one I put in the still life under the light opened up literally as I watched, like a time lapse video.

Tangerine Tango part Two!

6x6 oil on panel click here to bid

Here is my second attempt at using the Pantone color of the year Tangerine Tango. I actually kind of like it.

Still Life with Still Life

6x6 oil on panel, click here to bid

I went out to the studio today with every intention of setting up more eggs and spoons, but I had put my finished apple from yesterday in the still life set up to get better light for a photo, then left it there. When I came in this morning, it was just calling out to me to paint the painting. So here it is!

Orange Sugegasa

6x6 oil on panel

I finished this yesterday but didn't blog it so here it is today...I'll post my other painting from today later, I bet you can't guess the subject ;) The orange on the bottle reminds me of the hats people wear in Japan. I bet they are useful when painting outside. I need to look into that.

Interesting fact: In Japan, the hat is called "sugegasa"

Helpful Hint: I purchased a really useful book at the suggestion of carol during the workshop (she didn't know it, but as soon as she mentioned it in class, I took out my trusty little iphone, found it on ebay, bought it and it was waiting for me when I got home from the workshop. I love technology) I just now got around to reading it though, and it is a GREAT book on composition.....I've only read the first few chapters, but what the author is saying keeps popping up in my head like a stern teacher. The name of the book is The Simple Secret to Better Painting by Greg Albert. I paid $15 plus shipping on ebay. well worth it.

Day 2 Carol Marine Workshop

For some reason my blog posts didn't post when I was at the workshop so here's one from day 2.

Even though it's only the second day of the workshop i feel like I've learned more in two days than in two years.....Carol uses a limited palette and I've been using only the same colors and I have found that her methods and palette make for much cleaner paintings and simpler decisions when painting.....after the 5th ten minute challenge today, I had my "ah ha" moment.....and finally saw what she was trying to teach us.....An added bonus is the great group of women and 2 men in our group, I've made some lifelong friends already...Lauri,Pamalonngabingbong, Trish the Dish, and Calamity Jane to name a few......

The above is from the 10 minute challenge she had us do....we did 5 in all of the same object and this one is my 5th and my best. I have to admit I was frustrated with the first 3 and didn't feel like I was making progress, but by the 4th and 5th time I was a believer.

Boston Wharf and Learning to Simplify

6x6 oil on panel

This was a tough one, and I still need to do some work on it, but I need to learn to simplify a scene like this with lots of detail. I'm posting the reference photo as well as the painting, constructive criticism welcome.

Boston Harbor and 6 squared show

6x6 oil on panel

This is the first of a Boston Harbor series I am doing from my recent trip to New England. I have been debating entering the Higbee 6x6 show, but am not sure if my artwork is "good enough" for the show, and I also am not sure how to price for that show. The cost of framing and then the entry fee is more than my asking price for a painting, so not sure if it is worth it but am wondering from other artists who have entered this in the past if the exposure makes it worth the price and potential rejection? Let me know your thoughts!

Dude on the Beach

6x6 oil on panel Click to purchase $50
How it might looked framed: Pictured is a Randy Higbee frame from King of Frame

I painted this a couple days ago from a photo reference of my time on the boat this past summer. This guy had the right idea, up to his ankles in the water that felt like a spa on a 90 degree day.....I'm going to wish I saved all these summer pics in the middle of February but I can't help myself, I miss summer already!

A Day Late, or Two....

6x6 oil on panel To purchase click here $50

How it might looked framed, this is from the Randy Higbee collections, King of Frames

I have the kind of personality that I'm always a day late and a dollar short....I even drive my car far beyond when the low fuel warning light comes on, usually because I'm a dollar short, but sometimes, I just can't be bothered with stopping for gas, as my mind is on other things....one of these days I'm going to run out, like I did when my kids were little, in a snowstorm and we had to trudge to the gas station in a near blizzard....sigh....they never let me forget that.

Here's is Carol Marine's weekly challenge, Paint your Pumpkin. Of course I didn't get mine carved, so I used her photo reference. and I'm a day, actually 2 days late after Halloween....but I did however, get a photograph of my pumpkin with my studio kitty for a past challenge I need to catch up on, the Superstition Challenge. One would think that it would be easy to paint it the same time I painted the pumpkin challenge...but Nooo....not this sista, that would be thinking ahead! Lol, perhaps tomorrow, but I'm sure by then I'll be painting gas cans or something else :)

Cezanne I am not!

6x6 oil on panel $50 click here to buy

Once in awhile its fun to try a "master copy" a painting from one of the art masters. Cezanne is one of my favorite painters so I attempted one of his simplest still lives. A lot can be learned by doing these exercises, mostly that I have a lot to learn!

Landscape Refresher

11x14 oil on panel $75 to purchase click here

Since I was gone for a week I needed to do a painting step by step from one of my art instruction books. I chose a landscape since I have lots of pics from my travels to New Hampshire to paint! The clouds gave me some fits, among other things, but since it was just an excercise to get back into the swing of it, I didn't stress too much. I think sometimes we artists, especially those whose livlihood depends on it, worry too much about the finished product of the work, rather than the process of painting. I've found that when I just paint everything as if It's just for practice, things turn out much better. It's one of the reasons I hate commissions because the stress of what I think the commissioner expects inhibits me from painting well and enjoying it.

Priceless

I have no finished paintings to post this week, but lots of good stories, and tomorrow I leave for New Hampshire to visit my folks and my home!!! I spent the past weekend enjoying our beautiful weather on the boat, fishing and enjoying family and sunshine, today and yesterday caring for my fiance who had his first colonoscopy experience, and meeting new people in the art world who are in need of art teachers for people with special needs and the elderly. When I saw the call for help I knew I needed to respond, even if it was for no pay at all. My oldest son is autistic and no one sees the need for understanding, structure, and creativity more than the mother of a child with special needs. How could I say no? I meet the first group of kids tomorrow, and I can hardly wait.

Then there was The Argument.

The big facebook disagreement.

I bit my tongue for as long as I could but no more.....Many artists may relate to this "discussion" on artists donating or giving to charity. Obviously, this is up to each one of us to give as we are able to whomever we choose, but this discussion went beyond just giving, it became downright heated about artists' self worth and value and cost and expense and on and on. I personally would give everything away if I could. This person would give nothing and sell at the highest possible cost. Obviously we are at opposite ends of a moral dilemma, so why did I engage? after much thought, I assessed and asked myself why am i a giver (besides the fact that I was raised to be that way by my mom) so here is my story.............

I have a reason why I never say no when someone asks me for a donation of my art. This is a good story, and actually involves one of our members (my local art group) although I'm not sure if she remembers me, because (shamefully) I never properly thanked her.... 6 years ago, during my first job as an art teacher out of college and a single mom with no extra money to spare, I took a job in Lorain Ohio for the Boys and Girls Club heading up their after school program. I've never seen such desperate need as I did in this program, most kids were hungry, ill clothed, and dismal home lives....I ran a program that served at least 100 kids after school. Right after I started, the regional club announced a fundraiser and wanted donations for their silent auction. I wanted to teach the kids self reliance and pride in creating something that benefitted them, as well as others....I wanted them to feel the sense of pride that comes from earning their way. (an aside note: I started working when I was 11, picking blueberries with my siblings on an orchard in Vermont in exchange for the rent my mom had to pay. 10 months out of the year we lived in an old barn designed as a small dorm for migrant workers....the 2 months during harvest we were on our own, one of those years we spent in a one room schoolhouse with no running water or facilities....this was in the early 80's by the way, not the 1800's.....but I knew what hard work meant, and my mom set the bar high by her example.) I had fixed it in my mind that fused glass pendants was the answer, having seen them at the local art shows earlier that year. Through happenstance I learned the name of an artist in Findlay that might be able to help me out. To this day, I can't believe what I asked of her, because in hindsight the request was huge, but I was new to glass art and at the time I didn't realize the value of what she gave. She offerred supplies, several hours of her time, (with all her children happily running around while we chatted) and would fire the finished pieces for me since I had no kiln and didn't know what I was doing....I took a lot and she recieved nothing. The project was a huge success, and the pieces sold for a total of over $2,000....plus the kids all got to keep one for themselves. Years later, at a show in Whitehouse (a town 2 hours from where I worked) I was selling my own fused glass and a customer (who was an english teacher) showed me a piece she was wearing and told me this incredible story about a boys and girls club director in Lorain who brought such pride to the wayward kids at this school where she taught, showing them how to make fused glass and selling it....at first I was just being the polite artist, smiling and nodding and listening to her story, but then nearly choked when I realized she was talking about ME. I was very humbled that day. However, it made me realize that I never thanked the one person who helped me get my start. Kelly Crosser Alge gave alot of materials and time when she helped me, and never knew the outcome of her gift....well there it is, not just in dollars, not just in the lives of those kids who would never know that kind of art, but now in the lives of those that I give to because of her example. I always tell people that I give to or donate to, that someone helped me get started once, when I needed a hand up, and if they ever find themselves in the position to give, that I don't need payback, but to pay it forward, So even though I said I was done talking about this topic, I feel like this story needed to be shared. Sometimes you just don't know the impact a small gesture can be, and that alone has no pricetag.

By the way, if you ever want to buy the most gorgeous fused glass around, check out the work of Kelly Crosser-Alge. I know this, because she was my teacher.